Damon Gergar

Driven by a commitment to protecting children and a lifelong passion for the New York Mets, Damon moved from Bethlehem, PA to New York City after finishing his undergraduate studies, determined to pursue detective work. His resolve to serve in law enforcement grew stronger after serving as a 9/11 first responder in his early days as an NYPD officer.

During his 21-year NYPD career, Damon became a leading expert at the federal and state levels in child exploitation and human trafficking investigations, serving in elite units including the Criminal Enterprise Investigative Section—where he was a Homeland Security Task Force Officer—and the Vice Major Case/Human Trafficking Unit. His investigative techniques, spanning the dark web, social media, cryptocurrency, and encrypted platforms, led to the arrest and prosecution of numerous offenders across local, national, and international jurisdictions.

He worked extensively with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and other agencies for over 13 years, forging collaborations to tackle sophisticated child sex offenders. As a longtime member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, his investigations led to the prosecution of individuals possessing, creating, and distributing child sex abuse material, many of whom were hands-on abusers.

Transitioning to the private sector, Damon joined Chainalysis as a Senior Training Specialist, where he has trained over 1000 law enforcement professionals worldwide in cryptocurrency investigations. He instructs courses on cryptocurrency fundamentals, advanced tracing, decentralized finance, and asset recovery, and has delivered specialized training at law enforcement and industry conferences across the country. His work was recognized in the 2024 Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report for helping solve a high-profile child trafficking case involving cryptocurrency.

While a detective, Damon served as an Adjunct Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice from 2015 to 2021, teaching over 1,000 students in criminological theory. He developed coursework that challenged them to analyze complex criminal behaviors, preparing the next generation of law enforcement. He also provided a firsthand policing perspective, bridging real-world experience with academic discussions on law enforcement.

Damon holds a Master of Arts in Criminology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.